CRA Personnel Expenses Increases 66% Over Four Years

The closeout of the 2017 budget for the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) shows that personnel expenses have increased approximately 66% over the last four years. During this period personnel expenses increased from $330,286 in 2013 to $547,872 in 2017.

The growth in CRA personnel expenses is approximately nine times the growth rate of personnel expenses for the City of Tallahassee, which increased 7.4% during the same period.

At the end of 2017, the actual revenues and prior-year funds were $7,546,520, which included the sale of the O’Connell property and 715 West Gaines Street for $1,329,270 and the sale of $66,014 of capacity from the Coal Chute Stormwater Pond.

The actual FY 2017 CRA operating expenses for both districts was $640,758.

The final FY 2017 capital expenditures, which included project and program expenditures approved by the CRA Board and the CRA Executive Director after the budget was adopted, were $2,001,880. The actual reserves for FY 2017 totaled $3,102,964.

The CRA has been in news over the last year because of the FBI investigation and due to the approval of a number of high profile projects.

The CRA Board consists of the City of Tallahassee Mayor, the four City Commissioners and four members of the Leon County Commission.

Not related to this CRA story but a general observation based on the general lack of trust in COT allowing up to 25% of winter utility bills to be carried over.
After what we already know about the low moral character of COT leadership how can we not feel the are jacking our rates even more than what was legitimately due to the cold temperatures???
Think about that for a while.
And what if they are? How would we know?

Please FBI, tell me you aren’t just passing time here in our city! Start calling for indictments of COT officials and cronies so Tallahassee citizens finally can get rid of the corrupt COT Cabal and elect some qualified and ETHICAL candidates to clean up and reverse the mess that COT’s made of this city over the past decade – much as Trump is trying to do in Washington.

Of the CRA, what do we expect of a city led by a “mayor” that recently called the Trump Tax Cut a “scam” and has called for “higher corporate tax rates” for FL corporations. Yeah, there’s a great idea – let’s start driving evil corporations away from FL and punish those that remain! That will sure bring economic prosperity. Gosh, maybe Andy can make FL just like California: Profoundly broke with citizens and businesses fleeing. There’s a smart economic model. I wonder if Andy’s aware that Disney just decided to give 125,000 employees a $1,000 bonus, DIRECTLY as a result of the tax cut? I doubt Andy Gillum will get many votes from Disney employees or their families. Link to Disney story (Jan 23-18):https://usaherald.com/disney-give-employees-1000-cash-bonus-due-gop-tax-reform/
You know those evil FL corporations – always hoarding money and keeping their employees in poverty. I guess Andy feels FL will be a lot better off with fewer corporations and big businesses. After all, he’s sure managed to establish that firmly here in Tallahassee.

The CRA is dirty, just like any other part of COT officials’ culture of corruption. I hope the FL Legislature passes tough laws and regulations on CRA’s that they were considering a few months ago. But far more than that, I hope our “mayor” and a great majority of COT officials are sitting in a very uncomfortable and tense courtroom a few weeks or months from now, in front of tables stacked high with the prosecution’s evidence.

Do not worry about corporations leaving Florida due to Andy’s higher tax. Corporations do not pay taxes.
That’s right they pass that on in the form of higher prices to Mike and Snidely and the rest of Florida’s good citizens. So Andy really wants to tax us which will put an unfair burden on the poorest mostly minorities in our state.

Snidely – Good points about corporations passing on higher costs (such as taxes) to ordinary citizens. But Andy does want to raise taxes on FL corporations, and I bet hands-down he won’t stop with his first tax hike. This column by Andy, from the Fort Myers News-Press, Jan. 19-18:
“We can make tax scam work; increase Florida’s corporate tax”https://usaherald.com/disney-give-employees-1000-cash-bonus-due-gop-tax-reform/

Great idea, Andy. You want to “help” Florida just as you’ve “helped” Tallahassee over the past decade or so. You’ve also managed to “help” your own wallet quite a lot in the process, and made the FBI very curious about your activities. I hope your campaign has as much luck as Hillary’s, and unlike her, that you will be indicted.